“Whatever they are and wherever they stand is the result of their individual efforts and patronage of their brave and dedicated mother”
Nisar Ahmed Thakur
Islamabad: Expressing serious concern over what he called “victimisation” of his family, the chairman of United Jihad Council Syed Salahuddin on Wednesday said that his children were “repeatedly being subjected to oppression and suppression by the Indian authorities because of my involvement in the ongoing Kashmir struggle.”
In an interview here, the UJC chief, whose son has been recently arrested by the National Investigation Agency headquartered in New Delhi in a six-year-old funding case, said: “After choosing this path (armed struggle) 28 years ago, I bade adieu to my family and so far as the upbringing and education of my children are concerned, my role in this regard has been absolutely zero.”
“Whatever they are and wherever they stand is the result of their individual efforts and patronage of their brave and dedicated mother,” Salahuddin said.
Shahid, 42, a Jammu and Kashmir government employee, was arrested on October 24 after called for questioning at the NIA headquarters. He was remanded to seven-day NIA custody last week and presented before district judge Poonam Bamba on Wednesday, who, during the in-camera proceedings, remanded him to judicial custody till November 27.
Asked whether he was in touch with his children in Kashmir, the Hizb chief replied in affirmation, saying: “Whenever there is a telephonic talk, it remains confined to just enquiring about the well-being of my family members.”
Terming the NIA raid on his house at Soibug, Budgam and arrest of his son and summoning of his grandson by the probe agency to New Delhi as an “act of vengeance”, the Hizb supreme commander said: “I can’t help them (family members) at this very crucial juncture, and for them I cannot even think of betraying the Kashmir cause for which hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri youth have sacrificed their lives and thousands of Kashmiri women were molested.”
“During this testing time, I just advise my family to demonstrate patience, turn to Almighty Allah and seek His blessings,” he said.